Re: World Whiskey Consumption

Originally Posted by Wryguy

All of this talk about Indian whisky and not a mention of Amrut! I love my bottle of Portonova, kicks the shit out of Balvenie Portwood, which is now owned by Indians as well (United Breweries just bought Whyte and Mackay, along with Dalmore, Jura) Apparently 7 out of the 20 most popular spirits in the world are Indian whiskies: They are Officer's Choice, McDowell's No.1, Bagpiper, Royal Stag, McDowell's No.1, Old Tavern and Original Choice.

Some great names, but they highlight a fact. These whiskies are not named Arjuna's Lament or Krishna's Tears, they have Scottish names. Culturally India was much more influenced by the West than China, same goes for places like Taiwan and Japan, where per capita whiskey consumption is much higher than China. The distribution of wealth is also key, as China's gap between rich and poor is the most extreme in the world, with few middle class drinkers in the middle.

Should be noted that this survey also has an incredible bias towards bottled drink produced at a factory. How does this Bloomberg study account for all the sake rice farmers are making for themselves in the fields of China? And what about a nation like Iran, where alcohol is punishable by death but nearly 1/3 of the population are drinking triple distilled moonshine made from raisins in their homes every night, cause it's the only escape they have. A bottle of molasses whiskey from India smuggled into the country costs 140 US dollars. They put it in a Johnnie Walker bottle. But it aint Johnnie, I promise you. This article and conversation are an interesting start, but there is a lot more depth to this than Bloomberg Business Week is going to tell you.

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

Originally Posted by Wryguy

They put it in a Johnnie Walker bottle. But it aint Johnnie, I promise you. This article and conversation are an interesting start, but there is a lot more depth to this than Bloomberg Business Week is going to tell you.

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

Originally Posted by Wryguy

All of this talk about Indian whisky and not a mention of Amrut! I love my bottle of Portonova, kicks the shit out of Balvenie Portwood, which is now owned by Indians as well (United Breweries just bought Whyte and Mackay, along with Dalmore, Jura) Apparently 7 out of the 20 most popular spirits in the world are Indian whiskies: They are Officer's Choice, McDowell's No.1, Bagpiper, Royal Stag, McDowell's No.1, Old Tavern and Original Choice.

Some great names, but they highlight a fact. These whiskies are not named Arjuna's Lament or Krishna's Tears, they have Scottish names. Culturally India was much more influenced by the West than China, same goes for places like Taiwan and Japan, where per capita whiskey consumption is much higher than China. The distribution of wealth is also key, as China's gap between rich and poor is the most extreme in the world, with few middle class drinkers in the middle.

Should be noted that this survey also has an incredible bias towards bottled drink produced at a factory. How does this Bloomberg study account for all the sake rice farmers are making for themselves in the fields of China? And what about a nation like Iran, where alcohol is punishable by death but nearly 1/3 of the population are drinking triple distilled moonshine made from raisins in their homes every night, cause it's the only escape they have. A bottle of molasses whiskey from India smuggled into the country costs 140 US dollars. They put it in a Johnnie Walker bottle. But it aint Johnnie, I promise you. This article and conversation are an interesting start, but there is a lot more depth to this than Bloomberg Business Week is going to tell you.

It's worth noting (as I believe someone else already has) that most of those Indian "whiskies" that you listed are molasses-based spirits that bear little resemblance to the products we know and love from Scotland. However, the Amrut line is very good and Amrut Fusion, in particular, has gone over very well with all my friends, virtually all of whom were very surprised that such a fine whisky could come from India. (Most thought the same about Japanese whisky until they tried a few and were shocked at how good the Yamazaki products taste.) It's odd (and probably reflects my own ignorance) but I always had a question in the back of my mind about the quality of India's water sources when making their whisky, believing that it could never match the water that cascades through fields of heather and peat in Scotland. But the Indian whisky is damned good and now I need to investigate further just how it's made to satisfy my own curiosity.

"I distrust a man who says 'when.' He's got to be careful not to drink too much, because he's not to be trusted when he does." Sydney Greenstreet

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

It definitely true that all of the Indian "whiskies" listed are produced from molasses, and a lot of the "rum" consumed in Eastern Europe is made from sugar beets. All of which calls into question the accuracy of this Bloomberg article.

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

I don't get this fixation on molasses. Indian whiskies are blends, i.e., real whiskey blended with neutral spirits (which happen to made from molasses). That's essentially the same definition for blended whiskey in the U.S. The source of neutral spirits seems a rather moot point for discussion.

I guess I goofed in posting this in the General Bourbon Discussion sub-forum, but the point was... well, to open some eyes and engender some discussion. So, success, I suppose.

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

These blended Indian whiskies are about 10% malt distillate, which makes it hard for me to think of these as whiskies. It's like adding tobacco to a joint and calling it a cigarette. I've actually tasted Officer's Choice and knockoff Red Label and it tastes nothing like other whiskies I've tasted. Just my two cents, but I think this info matters.

Re: World Whiskey Consumption

[QUOTE=MauiSon;326632]I don't get this fixation on molasses. Indian whiskies are blends, i.e., real whiskey blended with neutral spirits (which happen to made from molasses). That's essentially the same definition for blended whiskey in the U.S. The source of neutral spirits seems a rather moot point for discussion.[/QUOTE

Nobody is "fixating" on molasses (not sure how you came to that conclusion). I only made an (accurate) observation about the quality of many Indian blended products, not the top shelf ones that have been mentioned.

Originally Posted by Wryguy

These blended Indian whiskies are about 10% malt distillate, which makes it hard for me to think of these as whiskies. It's like adding tobacco to a joint and calling it a cigarette. I've actually tasted Officer's Choice and knockoff Red Label and it tastes nothing like other whiskies I've tasted. Just my two cents, but I think this info matters.

Exactly.

Last edited by unclebunk; 03-05-2013 at 11:29.

"I distrust a man who says 'when.' He's got to be careful not to drink too much, because he's not to be trusted when he does." Sydney Greenstreet